The 2024 Sports Showdown season will begin in Green Bay on Friday, August 23.
tv32 will broadcast eight high school football games over the course of a nine-game regular season, followed by playoff games.
The season schedule is listed below. Coverage of all games begins at 7:00 pm on tv32.
Week 1 – Friday, August 23: Oshkosh West vs. Green Bay Preble
The Wildcats showed promise last year, going 4-5 and even in losses, holding their own with the top teams in the Fox Valley Association. Their top three running backs, including quarterback Chase Brandl, were all underclassmen, so Oshkosh West has the potential to surprise some in the FVA with a top-tier finish.
Preble won just one game last season, but there is some optimism surrounding the program under novel coach Brad Boockmeier, a former Hornet. Boockmeier took over the program in June after the program decided to part ways with Hall of Fame coach Mark Jonas, who was originally hired last winter.
This will be the first game at the recently renovated Preble stadium; the turf was installed last year and the project will be completed before the start of the season.
Week 2 – Thursday, August 29: Kimberly vs. Bay Port
For the second straight year, these two powerhouse teams from northeastern Wisconsin will face off in a cordial match.
Kimberly won last year’s game 17-14 before eventually reaching the state semifinals, another standard season for the eight-time state champions. The Papermakers return running back Marcus Doucette, who rushed for 720 yards last season as a change-of-pace back. They’ll have to replace quarterback Carson Pendleton, leading receiver Bryson Vieth and defensive lineman Sam McGivern, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a program that has always reloaded rather than rebuilt.
Bay Port, meanwhile, experienced a change in leadership this offseason, as former Fond du Lac coach Steven Jorgensen took over from longtime coach Gary Westerman. Jorgensen played at Kimberly, where his father, Steve, won two state championships as coach. He also was a member of Bay Port’s coaching staff the past two seasons. The Pirates are in a similar situation to Kimberly: They must replace several key players across the board, including dual-threat quarterback Carter Callies and All-Conference linebacker Landon Gauthier, who is now at Wisconsin.
Week 3 – NO GAME due to the Packers vs. Eagles season opener on NBC 26 at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 6
Week 4 – Friday, September 13: Wrightstown vs. Luxembourg-Casco
You can’t go wrong with a game in the North Eastern Conference, which is one of the best leagues in the region, top to bottom, with teams making deep playoff runs year after year. In fact, this game pits the only two teams from northeastern Wisconsin to reach the state finals last season. Both the Tigers and Spartans are silver ball winners in 2023.
Luxemburg-Casco is coming off its best year in school history, highlighted by a magical victory over Catholic Memorial in the Division 4 state semifinals. Now, the future is a bit of a mystery. Losing conference quarterback Max Ronsman hurts, but LC also graduated several of its best players from a dominant offensive line that led the way to 3,138 yards last season. Expect running backs Cameron Dorner and Andrew Klass to lead the team in 2024.
While LC’s 3,138 rushing yards were impressive, Wrightstown ranked among the state’s top teams on the ground with 4,014 in 2023. What’s more, they return their two best rushers: running back Aiden Humphreys and quarterback Trevor Vande Hey, a standout athlete who has committed to play college baseball at Iowa. Like the Spartans, Wrightstown lost several starters along the line, including All-Conference quarterback Charlie Garvey, who is headed to college at UW-Stevens Point. Still, with so many starters back and other blockers waiting in the wings, Wrightstown could once again be a threat for a deep playoff run this season.
Week 5 – Friday, September 20: Fond du Lac vs. Kaukauna
The first FVA match of the Showdown season will pit two of the Fox Valley’s top programs against each other.
Kaukauna is coming off one of the best years in program history; the Galloping Ghosts advanced all the way to the state semifinals before losing 24-14 to Waunakee in a game that was televised on Sports Showdown. After losing several key players, including star quarterback Finnley Doriot and Division I college players Mitch Verstegen and Carson Van Dinter, head coach Matt Binsfeld acknowledged that this could be a rebuilding year for the Ghosts, but added, “with 30 seniors, we can surprise some people.”
Fond du Lac pulled off one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent memory. After losing its first four games, the Cardinals won six of their next seven and advanced all the way to the state quarterfinals. Like most teams, Fond du Lac has lost several key players, but it returns four who earned some sort of All-FVA honors last season.
Week 6 – Friday, September 27: De Pere vs. West De Pere
The Phantoms have won two of the last three meetings since the crosstown rivalry resumed in 2021, snapping a 15-year hiatus between the two schools. Both teams advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year, but both will look different in 2024.
West De Pere is losing several key players from its offensive attack, including quarterback Duke Shovald and wide receiver Langdon Nordgaard, who committed to Wisconsin. Patrick Greisen, son of Phantoms head coach and former NFL quarterback Chris Greisen, is expected to take over the QB role.
The Redbirds, meanwhile, rebounded after losing their first three games last season to reach the postseason. Former Badger Ben Strickland is entering his third season coaching De Pere; he has a 9-12 record, but his teams have made the playoffs both years.
Week 7 – Friday, October 4: Kimberly vs. Neenah
This could be one of the most significant statewide games of the season. Neenah returns most of its best players from a team that went 9-3 and advanced to the state quarterfinals last season.
Two of those three losses came against Kimberly, including a devastating 14-7 season-ending playoff loss last November when the Papermakers stopped the Rockets inside the 10-yard line with time expiring. Neenah star quarterback/safety Grant Dean, who has committed to Wisconsin, told NBC 26, “That’s something I’ve definitely marked on my calendar.”
Week 8 – Friday, October 11: West De Pere vs. Bay Port
These two FRCC North rivals will meet in the Showdown for the third straight season. The Pirates won both of those games, 45-34 last season and 34-27 in 2022; both victories secured the conference title for Bay Port.
Week 9 – Friday, October 18: Appleton North vs. Kimberly
The Lightning players no doubt still have the end of last season fresh in their minds. Kimberly defeated Appleton North in back-to-back games to close out the year: 14-0 in the regular-season finale and 10-7 in the Level 1 playoffs.
While the Papermakers have been the cream of the crop in the Fox Valley for the better part of two decades, Appleton North has always given them a good challenge. Interestingly, the Lightning defeated the ‘Makers 21-10 in Level 3 of the 2021 playoffs.
